Prepping for Geological Excavation

Today started with phase 2 of the allergy testing. Fingers crossed, this is the very LAST diagnostic test I will have before I go home! Just like yesterday, the nurse dropped a tiny amount of the allergen on my skin and then pricked it with a needle. I'll get the official results from the allergist next week, but the nurse did tell me what caused the colossus of all hives...cockroaches. That's correct my friends, my number one animal allergy is...cockroaches. So I'm thinking that in addition to the radon testing prior to buying a house, homeowners can hire me. I'll walk into the potential home, see if I start sneezing like crazy and get paid for my troubles. Between honey bee keeping and cockroach testing, my husband and I can start planning a vacation!

I also met with my doctor to prepare for my surgery tomorrow. This surgery is to remove the stone from my submandibular gland and/or remove the entire submandibular gland itself. As you may recall from a previous post, the plan is to go into my salivary gland using a fancy-schmancy endoscope (there are only two endoscopes in the USA-Mayo and Pittsburgh). The doctor uses a laser to break up the stone and pulls the pieces back out through the opening in the gland. As a celebrity, I always spice things up a little bit. My stone is both huge and very far down in the duct, so the chances of the endoscopic procedure working are fairly slim. If this happens and they can't remove the stone, then the doctor will remove my entire gland through an incision in my neck. The endoscopic procedure is outpatient, but the gland removal will require an overnight hospital stay because they will have to place a tiny drain in the site. So the name of the game is...go with the flow.

In other news, my fabulous nurse from my allergy testing loved my idea of bedazzling my accessories so much that she bought me sequins and glue! Call out the paparazzi, the gem encrusted feeding tube is not to be missed.